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Queen Victoria

Queen Victoria

Episode number: 1

Overview: We explore two of the most important relationships in her private life - with her husband Prince Albert, with whom things may not have been quite as they seemed; and her eldest son Edward, who she came to utterly despise.

Louis XIV

Louis XIV

Episode number: 2

Overview: The Palace of Versailles pays testimony to Louis XIV, the self-styled Sun King, who ruled at the height of French power for an incredible 72 years. He had a very open 'secret' second marriage, as well as very infrequent bathing practices.

Charles II

Charles II

Episode number: 3

Overview: Hampton Court and Whitehall Palace provide the backdrops for a man besotted by sensuality who presided over a court obsessed by sex. A 24-hour 'pox doctor' was constantly on call.

Mad King George

Mad King George

Episode number: 4

Overview: We see how a handsome and popular young man with exquisite manners, a witty conversationalist, the first gentleman of England, indeed, turned into a bloated, boorish and bullying monster who hated his son.

Henry VIII

Henry VIII

Episode number: 5

Overview: It turns out that Henry VIII was a bit of a prude, and shocked by the worldliness of Anne Boleyn; he had decent table manners, contrary to his image. The king's life eventually had to be adapted to accommodate his ever-increasing weight.